A relief driver adjusts the seat in a school bus previously driven by someone else. What should happen before driving?
Correct answer: Check and, if necessary, adjust every mirror from the driving position.
All mirrors need checking before operation. A useful view for one driver may not show the danger zones adequately from another driver’s seat position.
Source: Washington Commercial Driver Guide, N/10/20; section 10, physical PDF 130, printed 10-1. ↗
What should the school bus’s crossover-mirror view do where direct forward vision becomes possible?
Correct answer: Overlap the direct view so the front danger area has no viewing gap.
Crossover mirrors cover the front bumper area at ground level and should overlap direct vision. They also help cover the front tire and service-door danger areas.
Source: Washington Commercial Driver Guide, N/10/20; section 10, physical PDF 131, printed 10-2. ↗
Why must a school bus driver observe each child clear the doorway and reach a safe place before moving?
Correct answer: Clothing or accessories can catch in a handrail or door.
Drawstrings, bags or other items can become caught as a child exits. Confirm that the child is clear and safe rather than relying only on the door closing or the child stepping down.
Source: Washington Commercial Driver Guide, N/10/20; section 10, physical PDF 134, printed 10-5. ↗
On a Washington roadway posted at 35 mph, when must you activate alternating amber lamps before stopping to load students?
Correct answer: Between 100 and 300 feet before the school bus stop.
WAC sets a 100–300-foot range where the posted limit is 35 mph or less. This is the loading-warning sequence, not a turn-signal distance or the simultaneous hazard-lamp rule for rail crossings.
Source: WAC 392-145-060(4)(a); current substantive rule reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
Students are unloading at an approved stop entirely off the roadway and no student needs to cross it. Which warning lamps does Washington require for that stop?
Correct answer: Simultaneously flashing amber hazard lamps.
WAC distinguishes stops on the traveled roadway from stops off it: off-road loading uses simultaneous amber hazard lamps. Do not use this scenario to authorize a road crossing from an off-road stop.
Source: WAC 392-145-060(6)-(7); current substantive rule reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
Students have boarded, but one is still standing in the aisle. When may you release the school bus brake to depart?
Correct answer: After all students are seated or properly secured.
Washington requires all students to be seated or secure before brake release. Closing the door and completing the light sequence do not replace checking the students.
Source: WAC 392-145-060(11); current substantive rule reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
Before loading or unloading passengers, which bus-control combination does Washington require?
Correct answer: Set the brake and place the transmission in neutral or park.
The brake must be set and the transmission in neutral or park before passenger movement. Where possible, light service-brake pressure also activates the brake lamps.
Source: WAC 392-145-060(10); current substantive rule reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
A pretrip check finds that an emergency exit latch does not work properly. May you begin the student trip because the normal door works?
Correct answer: No; all emergency exits must function before carrying passengers.
Emergency latches, safety locks and warning systems must be checked before each trip. A working service entrance does not permit passenger operation with a defective emergency exit.
Source: WAC 392-145-041(6); current substantive rule reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
A coach accompanies a school team on your bus. Who retains final authority and responsibility on the bus?
Correct answer: The school bus driver.
An assigned staff member is responsible for the students’ behavior and compliance, but the driver retains final authority and responsibility. Those duties work together rather than transferring control of the bus to the coach.
Source: WAC 392-145-021(4); current substantive rule reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
Which collection matches Washington’s specified school-bus emergency supplies?
Correct answer: Stocked first-aid kit, three reflective triangles, body-fluid cleanup kit and serviceable certified extinguisher.
Before a trip, the driver must verify the specified first-aid, warning, cleanup and fire equipment along with working brakes, lights, stop signs and other safety devices. Miscellaneous tools do not replace these supplies.
Source: WAC 392-145-041(5); current substantive rule reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
To save fuel, a driver suggests selecting neutral and coasting a school bus downhill. Is that permitted?
Correct answer: No; the driver must not disengage the clutch or select neutral to coast.
Washington prohibits coasting with the clutch disengaged or the transmission in neutral. Necessary manual gear changes for a descent must be made before starting downhill.
Source: WAC 392-145-050(1)-(2); current substantive rule reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
While stopped to check a rail crossing, which action improves your ability to hear a train and meets Washington’s rule?
Correct answer: Open the door and driver window, quiet passengers and turn off noisy equipment.
Open the door and driver window to listen, take reasonable steps to quiet passengers, and turn off noise-making devices such as fans and radios. Then meet the separate conditions for proceeding.
Source: WAC 392-145-070(3)-(4); current substantive rule reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
You are crossing railroad tracks in a manual-transmission school bus. When should you shift gears?
Correct answer: Choose the appropriate gear before crossing and do not shift on the tracks.
Washington prohibits manual gear changes while crossing a rail grade. Select a suitable gear beforehand so a missed shift does not leave the bus exposed on the tracks.
Source: WAC 392-145-070(6); current substantive rule reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
A mechanical breakdown occurs with the bus safely off the road and no immediate outside or inside threat. Does Washington require automatic evacuation?
Correct answer: No; evacuate when remaining aboard is more hazardous than leaving.
Assess the actual hazards. Washington permits emergency evacuation only when staying aboard is more hazardous than exiting; district emergency procedures and the immediate conditions guide the response.
Source: WAC 392-145-080(7)-(8); current substantive rule reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
An immediate threat requires evacuating the school bus. Should you delay the evacuation to finish a detailed radio report?
Correct answer: No; notify dispatch if time allows without delaying urgent escape.
The guide qualifies the dispatch notification with “if time allows.” Do not allow a call to delay escape from an immediate threat; seek help as soon as it can be done safely.
Source: Washington Commercial Driver Guide, N/10/20; section 10, physical PDF 136, printed 10-7. ↗
A passenger is excused from an actual exit drill because participation poses substantial difficulty. What instruction does Washington still require?
Correct answer: Oral school-bus safety and exit-drill instruction at least three times that school year.
Excusal from physical participation is not excusal from safety learning. The rule requires oral instruction at least three times in the school year for excluded passengers.
Source: WAC 392-145-080(3); current substantive rule reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
When pulling a school bus away from a curb into a turn, why must you monitor the rear overhang in the mirrors?
Correct answer: The tail can swing into nearby people, objects or vehicles.
Tail swing creates a separate clearance hazard during a turn. Check before and during the maneuver and know this bus’s dimensions; a guide example is not a universal clearance measurement for every bus.
Source: Washington Commercial Driver Guide, N/10/20; section 10, physical PDF 140, printed 10-11. ↗
What instruction must a Washington driver give helpers assisting students during an emergency exit drill?
Correct answer: Offer a helping hand palm up without grasping the student’s hand or arm.
The prescribed help is an offered palm-up hand, not grabbing a student’s hand or arm. Drills must also accommodate individual differences and provide orderly, prompt exit.
Source: WAC 392-145-080(5)(a)-(d); current substantive rule reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
All properly sized passenger seats are occupied. May an extra student ride standing for a short distance?
Correct answer: No; each passenger needs a safe seat within the seat compartment.
Washington requires suitable seating for every passenger and prohibits auxiliary temporary or folding jump seats. Students must remain seated while the bus is moving; a short trip is not an exception.
Source: WAC 392-145-021(1); current substantive rule reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
A proposed school-bus stop on a curve has less than 500 feet of visibility and a 500-foot view cannot be obtained. What does Washington require?
Correct answer: Advise school and road traffic-engineering authorities; change the stop or install proper signs.
The district rule requires at least 500 feet of visibility at a hill or curve stop. If that cannot be secured, both school authorities and the responsible roadway traffic-engineering department must be advised, and the stop changed or proper signs installed.
Source: WAC 392-145-011(6); current substantive rule reviewed September 13, 2026. ↗
